Sights

HAULIK’S SALON IN SWISS HOUSE

On the upper floor of Swiss house is Bishop Haulik's salon with a richly carved BAROQUE CEILING. In 1840 Bishop Haulik wanted to purchase a beautiful antique wooden ceiling for the salon on the ground floor. The same year, after contacting captain of Laksemburg from the emperors court Mihael von Riedl, Haulik receives three offers for a wooden ceiling:

•  A CEILING FROM ESTATES LAND HOUSE
•  WOODEN CEILING FROM A MONASTERY IN KLOSTERNEUBURG
•  CEILING FROM SALZBURG

He chose a very beautiful, richly carved wooden baroque ceiling, at that time around 300 years old. Today it is around 400 years old.

/ Haulik's salon in Swiss house, source: archive PIM /

After receiving offers, delighted Haulik immediately sends a thank you note on February 11, 1840 to prelate Ruttenstock in Klosterneuburg from whom he receives, besides the ceiling, an antique portal with doors, which used to be in the same room.

On April 19, 1840 ceiling was transported to Laksenburg for a thorough repair, for which carpentry and carving works were performed. After completion of works it was estimated that the value of this valuable antique is more than one thousand florins. However, when removing and repairing the ceiling it was discovered that the ceiling was made of slanted quadrangle, and it could not be repaired. This conditioned that the sides of the salon do not form a right angle, but because of the beauty of the ceiling and its great value, this barely noticeable deviation did not prevent installment of the ceiling in the salon of the Swiss house. Ceiling repairs were completed on August 24, 1840, and the ceiling was transported to Zagreb. Public institution »Maksimir« completely renovated Haulik's salon including its baroque ceiling in 2005. Restoration works were done by Croatian restoration institute under expert supervision of City Bureau for protection of monuments of culture and nature.

Besides baroque ceiling, Haulik's salon in Swiss house is adorned with 12 stained-glass windows with scenes from Swiss and Tyrol landscapes.

/ Stained-glass window from Haulik's salon, source: Croatian restoration institute /

Laksenburg's court captain Riedl stated in his letter to Haulik that he would give him an insight of two samples of paintings, which represent landscapes of Swiss Alps and lakes. One sample will be burned painting on glass, and the other done with oil paint. After Haulik gave Riedl permission to choose which painting is more beautiful and acceptable, on April 11, 1840, in a second letter, Riedl informs Haulik that the paintings were completed, have the same price, but that the sample done by burning is more beautiful, and equally important, more durable.

Swiss house window paintings were done in Vienna. Swiss landscapes were drawn by Schönbrun's court drawer Eduard von Gurk, and painted on glass by Antun Kothgasser. On August 16, 1840 Riedl paid 100 florins to Eduard von Gurku for 12 paintings, which can be seen in Gurk's original settlement.

/ Stained-glass windows from Haulik's salon, source: Croatian restoration institute /

During thorough renovation of Swiss house in 2005, done by Croatian restoration institute under expert supervision of City Bureau for protection of monuments of culture and nature, restoration treatment, editing and in smaller part reconstruction of stained glass placed in door and window frames, was performed. Upper and lower field of the wing was glassed with »butzenglass« glass, and in the middle paintings were placed.